


Open the future

by Aeso3



Series: Open the future [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ashen Wolves (Fire Emblem) - Freeform, Askr (Fire Emblem Heroes), Character Development, Church of Seiros (Fire Emblem), Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Friends to Enemies, Friendship/Love, Mentioned Black Eagles Students (Fire Emblem), Mentioned Blue Lions Students (Fire Emblem), Mentioned Golden Deer Students (Fire Emblem), Nifl (Fire Emblem Heroes), Original Support Conversations (Fire Emblem), Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:08:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23721358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeso3/pseuds/Aeso3
Summary: As the new year commences at the esteemed Officers Academy in Garreg Mach, the future leaders of Fódlan along with their houses are joined by students who represent the future of Askr and Nifl on Zenith. Friendships and bonds will be made, alliances forged, yet at the same time emnity between each other will soon rise as sides will be chosen and as the students walk their fated path, the two continents and their nations will never be the same again.
Series: Open the future [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709452
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warning:  
> This fic deviates in a lot of ways from the canon stories of both games with a lot of changes to their respective lore while at the same time, serve as a reenactment for the story of The Three Houses with additional characters and roles replaced by others. So, I apologize in advance if this is not to your liking or may not be your cup of tea. I hope you’ll still enjoy it.

**1179 – Lone Moon. ******

The final month of the imperial year had commenced upon its’ twilight. More than two weeks had passed since Saint Indech day and life at Garreg Mach Monastery seemed like it would continue on as usual. Yet on the 24th day of the month, the three house leaders of the Officer’s Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery were called upon for a meeting with the Archbishop Rhea: a meeting stated to be of great importance. An unusual crowd of curious spectators filled the path towards the cathedral, hoping to catch a glimpse of the conversation that the Archbishop was about to have with the future leaders of Fodlan. Unfortunately, they would not have that chance as they were dispersed by the knights as the three lords continued on at their own pace.

Eventually, the trio reached the center of the cathedral only to find it devoid of the Archbishop as a knight stood in her place. “Forgive the sudden announcement, but Lady Rhea said it was of great  
importance. She will be with you shortly” he bowed before taking his leave.

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“Well now, this is an interesting turn of events” said one of the three. She was of decent height with white hair and violet eyes. She also wore the standard black and gold uniform of the academy along with a red cape strung across her left shoulder.

“Whatever do you mean Edelgard?” another spoke up. He was slightly taller than the other two with short blond hair and blue eyes. Much like Edelgard, he also wore the standard academy uniform though his was adorned with armor on his hands and feet along with a blue cape.  
“Have to agree with the princess here. The three of us, called together like this? Even you must be interested Dimitri” the last of the three answered. He carried himself in a more casual manner than other two, with tanned skin, brown hair and bright green eyes. Much like the other two, he also wore the standard uniform with a yellow cape to signal his allegiance. 

“I hate to admit it but you have a point there Claude” Dimitri replied. “Hey now, somebody has to do all the thinking for the two of you, oh royal highnesses” Claude teased, causing Dimitri to stare at him with a frown. “Don’t let it go to your head” the blonde prince answered back.  
“If you two are done bickering, the both of you might want to straighten yourselves out because the Archbishop is coming” Edelgard scolded. In response, Dimitri complied with a frown while Claude simply shrugged it off with a smile.  
True to her words, the Archbishop Rhea did arrive, with her long green hair and elegant headdress made of gold with a white dress covered by a shawl of elaborate design along with a golden cape. She had a unique mystique about her and the aura she gave off made her seem almost ethereal. Clasping her hands together, she approached the three students, while being escorted by Seteth.

“Thank you for coming” Seteth began, quick, sharp and straight to the point. “As you all know by now, you were summoned here in order to receive a message of great importance. I expect all three of you to listen to it diligently”.  
The three looked at each other puzzled but opted to remain compliant at this request. “Thank you Seteth. Now dear children, before I begin, there is something I want to ask of you” she paused before continuing, “what do you know of the continent of Zenith?”.

The trios’ eyes widened as they heard the question as It took each of them by surprise albeit for different reasons. Edelgard was the first one to speak up, “It is a continent far south of Fodlan. For most of its’ history, the ruling nations of Zenith have kept their affairs to themselves with the exception of Askr, who has been a staunch ally of the Adrestian Empire throughout our shared history. Until the last several months that is, when Nifl joined in and started offering gold and other valuables in exchange for grain and other food supplies along with Askr. It is common knowledge in the Empire, though I know they’re also recently attempting to barter with the Kingdom and the Alliance as well”.  
“Very astute Edelgard” Rhea nodded with approval. “Forgive the intrusion Lady Rhea, but what does this have to do with the ‘important message’ you have for us?” Dimitri chimed in, still a bit confused as to what was going on. Claude on the other hand was uncharacteristically quiet during the whole affair; deep in thought at the prospect of Fodlan opening its borders for trade rather than war. Though as the future leader of House Reigan, he knew that the Leicester Alliance was also beginning to deal in trade with two of the Kingdoms of Zenith through its eastern half via Derdriu alongside the Kingdom of Faerghus and the Adrestian Empire. 

“Rest assured Dimitri, I ‘am getting to the heart of it” Rhea replied, “now, as Edelgard has already stated, while the Kingdom of Askr has amicable relationship with the Adrestian Empire, they along with Nifl have also begun trading with the Kingdoms of Faerghus and the Leicester Alliance as well; a fledgling relationship that is being carefully maintained for the time being. Somewhere during that time, I received a letter from King Gustav and Queen Henriette of Askr, alongside King Hrid of Nifl requesting that the crown Prince and Princess of Askr, as well the Princesses of Nifl be allowed to study in our esteemed Officers Academy in Garreg Mach.”

“What!?” Dimitri exclaimed, unsure as to how to process this new information. And he wasn’t alone in the response either, as even Edelgards’ eyes widened and Claude started noticeably snapping in attention. “Okay……. now this is getting interesting!” the Reigan heir said, raising a brow to signify that this had got his full attention. “I concur with Claude. This has certainly piqued my interest as well. Would I be correct to assume that this is part of some diplomatic negotiation?” Edelgard addressed, no stranger herself to such a concept considering one of her own classmates, Petra, was a political hostage for the Empire under the need to control the archipelago of Brigid.

“Your assumptions are correct Edelgard” Rhea acknowledged, “though this is not the first time a royal from Askr has studied in Garreg Mach, this request was done out of a desire to strengthen the bonds between the two continents and the nations that govern them. Askr and Nifl are offering us precious artifacts and secrets invaluable to Fodlan along with a surplus of gold while we in turn, provide them with food, metal and other raw materials of our own. This offer was something I could not refuse for the future of Fodlan”.  
“So, what you’re saying is, two kingdoms in Zenith decided to suddenly extend their olive branch with Fodlan by offering to completely empty their coffers for us and their secrets in exchange for food and other valuables while sending some of their royalties to learn here, so they could keep that relationship going and you accepted it. Am I correct?” Claude asked, to which Rhea nodded in agreement. “That is correct” she answered. This just kept getting more and more interesting for Claude.

“But what of Embla and Muspell? Are they not sending their future heirs to study here as the other two?” Dimitri inquired. “I only received these requests from Askr and Nifl while Embla and Muspell have never been interested in opening themselves to Fodlan. But I do know that they recently waged another war with each other and it has taken quite a toll on them” the Archbishop answered the Faerghus Princes’ question as best as she could.

As the conversation continued, so too did the curiosity of the students as well. “Hmm, I see. So that would explain why the two ruling powers there suddenly decided to expand their trade with us. The damage dealt by the war to their infrastructure must have been severe enough that they now need our resources just to function let alone recover” Edelgard said, holding a hand on her chin. “That would also explain why they are so willing to readily trade valuable artifacts and secrets of their own just to get grain, and not just with the Empire: they must be desperate for aid. Whatever the case, I believe they are only doing what they feel is best for their people” Dimitri asserted. “At the very least, there’s at least two neighbors that aren’t interested in waging war with us. Better to have a friend than another enemy I’d say” Claude added, both hands behind his back. Still in the back of his mind, the Reigan heir couldn’t help but be curious at this sudden turn of events. Fódlan has always had a hostile relationship with its neighbors, having themselves locked down and isolated for centuries, with the church mandating the refusal to open up relations with other nations. So, for them to suddenly develop friendly relations with another world different than their own, surprised him, to put it mildly. Not that he didn’t like it at all, in fact, he was rather pleased at the notion of Fodlan finally opening itself up. Maybe there was hope for his dream after all.

Rhea watched on as the three future leaders of Fodlan discussed amongst themselves with great interest at the prospect of the Zenith royals arriving at Garreg Mach, causing her to crack a smile. “It truly warms my heart to see the future of our nations take such eager interests in matters like these.”  
Dimitri was the first one to snap of out his musings and return his gaze towards the Archbishop, “I ‘am pleased to hear you say that Lady Rhea. But may I ask why you called for the three of us here? Is it simply to let us know of this?”. The other two also returned their attention towards Rhea upon hearing Dimitri ask the question, eagerly awaiting her answer. 

“Of course not, there is more” she shook her head as she smiled, “but I will leave that part to Seteth”.

Rhea stepped aside as she passed the floor to her second in command. The instructor stepped forward as he cleared his throat, “As the future leaders of Fódlan, the three of you have been instructed to guide and assist the royals of Askr and Nifl during their stay here. They are diplomatic guests here and I cannot stress this enough that it imperative that no harm befalls them, lest we want to sour this fragile relationship. We had originally intended to create a new house under their banner but we felt that it would only serve to further isolate them rather than integrate. King Gustav once studied here as a student alongside King Lambert and Emperor Ionius IX and he was model student all things considered, and it was also here that one of the consorts for the previous King of Nifl studied, which is why we are placing them under the care of your houses.”  
All of them were taken aback when they heard the instructions, the trio looked at each other before returning their gaze back to Seteth. “Now, it may seem overwhelming to be given such a delicate and important task. But as the future Emperor, King and Sovereign Duke of Fódlan, we feel that this is a duty well suited to your station. Do not think of this as a burden; rather, think of this as an opportunity: they are the future kings and queens of Askr and Nifl, so it would do you well to form a good relationship with each of them. Having them for an ally would certainly be beneficial to your future reigns.”

The three house leaders couldn’t help but nod in agreement at what Seteth had stated. As leaders of their respective territories, there were greater benefits to having allies rather than more enemies of other nations, with the headaches of Almyra, Dagda and Sreng already putting a lot of strain on them. Diplomacy was their bread and butter, and at this stage, it would certainly be much easier than at any point in their future lives, when they could look at each other as classmates, comrades and even friends. “Seteth is correct. Historically, Faerghus has never been on good terms with Askr, but right now we are in desperate need of allies and it would do us well to have both Askr and Nifl at our side” Dimitri addressed, a hand on his chin. “Not so fast” Edelgard spoke up, waving her hand in defiance, “do you truly believe that they would readily throw their feet at you. Not when there are greater benefits to be had working alongside the Empire. And besides, we have been allies with Askr since the founding of both our nations and I ‘am certain Nifl will feel obligated to work with us as well”. 

“Yeesh!” Claude exclaimed, “surely your royal majesties don’t really think you can just easily enrapture our esteemed guests just like that. These are things that take time, some charm and a little bit of bonding over tea, something I’m very familiar with.”

“Charm? You?” Edelgard scoffed, “if this so called ‘charm’ of yours consists of your zany schemes, I fear the only thing it will do is turn them over to me.”

“Quite presumptuous of the both of you to believe that you will know what they will think. I for one, will win them over without the need for schemes and deceptions. Honesty, kindness and integrity are only things I require, to mend the strained relationship between Faerghus and Askr, and I will win over Nifl while doing so”

“Umm hate to break to you Dimitri, but you’ve got about as much charm as a log” Claude argued.

“And your charm pushes the limit for what it means to be a menace to society” Dimitri argued back.

“Honesty will only get you so far as a ruler Dimitri. And besides, my father and King Gustav were once close friends during their time at the Academy. I’m sure his children will feel the same way” Edelgard chimed in.

“And deception will get you little allies Edelgard. And I hope you didn’t forget that a consort of Nifl hailed from Faerghus and was on amicable terms with my father” Dimitri shot back.

“Ugh, are you two really arguing about whose parents were better friends to other parents? You both sound crazy, but then again, I suppose it is typical for you royalties to argue on such petty matters”

The trio argued with one another for a full minute as Seteth watched with a groan on his face, looking like he was about to crack down under all the noise. Still, he was an instructor at the academy and it would be unbecoming of him to lose his cool in the Archbishops’ presence. Taking a deep breath, he let out a huge sigh before speaking again, “while we appreciate the enthusiasm that each of you are displaying, there is much more to discuss!”, Seteth said, holding himself together as much as he could while the three house leaders finally kept quiet and paid attention to him.

“Good” he nodded approvingly, “now then. Each of you must inform your classmates from your respective houses of this and warn them to be on their best behavior. This goes especially for the more unsavory characters in your houses, lest we want a diplomatic incident waiting to happen in our hands. I will give each of you a copy of the names of these royals and their retainers; remember them by heart and do pass on this information to your houses as well.”

A servant came by and handed out a small notebook to each of the three, as Seteth and Rhea watched on. “I know this burden must weigh heavily on the three of you, but I have faith that you will all carry them out dutifully” she glanced briefly at Seteth, “but for now, you are all dismissed. Please do remember what we ask of you and try to impart this message to your classmates as well”

“Of course, Lady Rhea”  
“I understand”  
“Got it”  
“Farewell then, children” and with that, the Archbishop took her leave along with Seteth who trailed behind as the walked past them, leaving the trio alone. Once the two were out of earshot, Claude rested his hands behind his back again as he sighed, “Whew! That’s a lot to take in”.

“If this is too much of a burden, I’m more than happy to carry it for you Claude” Edelgard snarked.  
“Not a chance princess. Besides, you really think I’m gonna let you have all the fun” Claude chuckled.  
“If you two are done bickering, might I suggest we head to our respective classes and call for a meeting” Dimitri suggested while the other two agreed to his suggestion as they both nodded.  
“Very well, I’ll take my leave now” the princess of Adrestia stated, being the first to exit the cathedral.  
“Good point. See you later your highnesses” Claude teased as he followed suit.  
“Goddess grant me patience” Dimitri sighed, being the last one to leave.

**1179 – Lone moon – Black Eagles**

  
Edelgard stared intently at the list of names given to her by Seteth. She had called for a meeting at the Black Eagles classroom and at the moment was waiting for the rest of her classmates to arrive.  


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“Lady Edelgard” a tall man with dark hair said as he approached her. He had a thin frame and a menacing appearance yet it seemed to do little to unnerve her.  


“Hubert” she answered back, “have you done as I asked?”.  


“Yes, of course. I’ve instructed all of them to congregate here” he answered with a swift bow.  


“I see. Thank you”  


“Of course, your majesty” Hubert smiled as he looked over the list that Edelgard herself was staring at.  


“Pardon the intrusion your Highness but may I ask you something?” Hubert requested.  


“What is it Hubert” Edelgard asked.

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“These royals from Zenith. Will they not complicate our plans?” he questioned with a frown. 

Edelgard in turn could only answer back with a sigh before forming a more appropriate answer, “unfortunately they do. If any harm befalls any of them under our banner, we risk either a declaration of war against them and in turn make more enemies than we can hope to fight or we sever a thousand-year-old friendship with the Holy Kingdom of Askr. They may be recovering from a war of their own but their combined navy and armies would still pose a significant threat to us, forcing us to fight on all sides should it ever come that”.  


Hubert was not pleased upon hearing her answer, though his ire was directed not at Edelgard but at himself. “Forgive me for my lack of oversight. I should have planned ahead for such an event like this”.

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“Not to worry Hubert” Edelgard reassured him, “It is not your fault. No one could have seen this coming. As a matter of fact, the circumstances here do provide us with an opportunity both timely and unique”.  


“How so?” Hubert asked, slightly flinched by her answer.  


“There is little to gain from making an enemy out of them but if we were to win over even one of them to join our cause…...” she explained.  


“Then we would add a significant asset to our war effort or divide their leadership enough to weaken them” Hubert finished her answer.  


“Correct” Edelgard acknowledged. “That being said, our best chance at this would be to win over Prince Alfonse over the others’.  


“Why him, specifically?” Hubert asked.

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“Askr has historically been a strong ally of the Adrestian Empire. They’ve aided us in the First Mach War, The War of the Eagle and Lion and provided support during the second invasion of Dagda and Brigid. He is the only one the royals here who is destined to take over his kingdom and I’ am certain that he will be interested in continuing this relationship. Nifl on the other hand is currently being ruled by King Hrid, so that leaves Princess Fjorm and especially Princess Ylgr out of the question, Princess Sharena is the younger of the Askr siblings and thus has no inheritance to speak of. However, my guess is that they still have a lot of pull and influence within their kingdoms, so we shouldn’t write them off quickly either, even if their influence is not to the extent that the future king will have” Edelgard lectured.  


“I see. Quite clever your highness” Hubert complimented with a smirk.  


“Indeed. But that’s not all. For the sake of convenience, let us assume that neither Claude or Dimitri were present to welcome them” Edelgard questioned, “where would that leave them?”.

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“With you as the only option. If you could influence all of them to join your cause, there would be no one to stop us and we certainly would no longer have need of aid from those serpents. Additionally, without a King and an Arch Duke, both the Kingdom and the Alliance will be left leaderless and vulnerable” Hubert answers.  
“Indeed”  


“But that would require the other two to ………conveniently disappear” the retainer snickered, “perhaps I could arrange for something like that to happen”  


“Somewhere down the line perhaps, Hubert” Edelgard suggested, taking her eyes off the list watch her other classmates come over, “not right now”.  


“Of course,” he bowed swiftly. 

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The rest of the Black Eagles eventually made their way to Edelgard and Hubert, surrounding them. “So, Edie. Is there any particular reason why you wanted us all to meet up on a weekend?” a girl with chestnut hair with emerald eyes spoke up. She wore a hat along with several jewelries that made her stand out.  


“I do. I have some news from the Archbishop that I have been instructed to share” Edelgard said.  


“New? Ah! Does it pertain to the meeting you were called for along with Prince Dimitri and Claude?” a man with well groomed, bright marmalade hair asked.  


“Wait? That’s the one!? Well let’s hear it!” a shorter boy with light blue hair spoke up. Loud enough, as a matter of fact, that it caused Edelgard to wince in annoyance. 

“Caspar, control your volume” she scolded.  


“Oops, sorry” he apologized, if a bit boisterous in his tone.

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“Anyways” Edelgard said, regaining her composure, “I ‘am here to let everyone know that the Prince and Princess of Askr as well as the two Princesses of Nifl will be coming over from their lands to study with us at the academy”.  


Everyone let out a collective gasp as they received the news. “I know of Askr. But Nifl……. I feel like I’ve heard that name before but I can’t quite put my finger on it” a boy with dark green hair lazily pondered.  


“Do not worry, Lindhart. I’ am having answers for you” a girl with purple hair and tan skin replied. “Back in Brigid, we were hearing stories of a place so cold that the people have skin as cold as snow. They were said to be on the land called Zenith to the south”.  


“That is correct Petra!” the noble with the well-groomed orange hair spoke. “Thank you, Ferdinand,” Petra reciprocated.  


“You are most welcome. As a matter of fact, our Empire has been allies of the Holy Kingdom of Askr for centuries, having been engaged in routine trade with us. With the Prince and Princess of Askr and the Princesses of Nifl by our side, things will surely look even more favorably upon us” Ferdinand continued.  


“So that’s what all the fuss was about. For once, I can’t help but find myself agreeing with you Ferdie.” Dorothea said.

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“ As guests on Fodlan soil, it is our duty to ensure that they feel welcomed and that they get a good impression of us” Edelgard said.  


“That will not be a problem. My responsibility as a noble demand that I watch over our esteemed friends from across the ocean and provide them with hospitality befitting of their stature” Ferdinand ranted on.  


“I get the feeling that your hospitality will only make them swim back to where they came from, Ferdinand” Dorothea argued.  


“W-well, that is simply not true. It would be unbecoming of me as a noble to fail our foreign guests” the noble faltered.  


“Regardless, I ask that you all behave yourselves and avoid causing a diplomatic incident. Our actions here will reflect on the empire as a whole and it may very well affect our relations with them in the future. So, keep that in mind.”

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All of them nodded and spoke in agreement in some form or the other. 

All except for, “Bernadetta?” Edelgard asked as she looked under the table.  


“Ahhh!” screamed a small girl with messy violet hair. “S-sorry, don’t surprise me like that Edelgard” she snickered.  


“Forgive me for startling you, Bernadetta. But I need to make sure you heard everything I said” Edelgard reassured her calmly.  


“Y-yeah, I did” Bernie replied.  


“And?”  


“As long as I d-don’t have to share my room, then I don’t mind. I-I’ll just sit in the corner and hide when the come” she nervously replied.  


Edelgard simply sighed with relief at her answer,” that is good enough for now. But try not to do anything that might scare them off, alright?”.  


“I- I won’t. I-I mean, Bernie will try not to”  


“Adequate” the Adrestian heiress acknowledged with a smile.  


“So, is that all? Or is there something else you need to tell us?” Caspar enthusiastically asked.  


“I hope this is it. I want to go back to sleep” Lindhart added with a yawn.

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“Not quite” Edelgard said, an audible groan coming from Lindhart, “the church has also given me a list of names of the royals and their retainers. I’ve been asked to share this with you in the hopes that you may better prepare yourselves when you eventually meet them”  


“Very well, Edie. Let’s hear it” Dorothea addressed.

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“First on our list is Prince Alfonse König. Eldest child of King Gustav and Queen Henriette König and sole heir to the throne of Askr. He is said to be a capable warrior and an intelligent leader”  


“With such qualities, it seems he has all the tools needed to become a fine addition to the Black Eagles house” Ferdinand pointed out.  


“Agreed” Edelgard said.

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“The next person on our list is Princess Sharena König. As the youngest child, it seems she has no inheritance to speak of. The transcript says that despite this, she is training to become a soldier in their military order”  


“Poor girl. She reminds me of Caspar in some ways. Still, it does seem that she is trying to make the best of it” Dorothea pondered.  


“I ‘am in agreement with Dorothea. This Sharena seems much like Caspar” Petra added.  


“Really? W-well, I guess that’s not so bad. It just means she and I gotta prove ourselves harder” Caspar said with a look of determination.

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“The third person on this list is Kiran Eclat, a tactician in training and advisor to Alfonse and Sharena. It says here that he was born a commoner and worked his way up through their Order of Heroes, supposedly a body that takes in their kingdoms best and brightest. This Kiran is said to be brilliant tactician and extremely intelligent”.  


“Words and expectations often ring hollow in the face of reality” Hubert claimed.  


“True, but he does intrigue me. I think I’ll look into him, when I feel like it” Lindhart added.  


“So, he’s a commoner who’s clawing his way up to the top, huh. I’ll give it to the kid; he’s got a big chip on his shoulder” Dorothea addressed. 

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“Next is Anna, another commoner and officer in training. Nothing remarkable to speak of, though it does seem that she has a budding talent in business enterprise and helps in many of the funding for their Order of Heroes. If that is of any interest to you all”  


“I’ll say! Such talent for earning coin is remarkable, especially for a commoner” Ferdinand exclaimed. Though it only caused Dorothea to stare at him with a menacing glare as Ferdinand started choking in nervousness. 

“Are you implying that us commoners are incapable of earning coin the way you nobles can?” she pointed out.  


“A-ah n-no! I-I didn’t mean it like that. I was merely stating that – “  


“Please Ferdie, you really should give commoners more credit than they deserve” Dorothea sneered. At this rate, Ferdinand could only whine in defeat.

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“That’s enough, from the both of you” Edelgard ordered, “now that we’ve covered everyone from Askr, I will move on to the ones from Nifl”  


“The Kingdom of Ice” Hubert added.  


“Is it having truth then? That the kingdom is made of ice?” Petra asked.  


“Petra dear, I believe that it’s simply an exaggeration and that their land is simply cold, therefore compared to a land of ice. A figure of speech” Dorothea answered.  


“I see. I ‘am having understanding” Petra stated.  


“Regardless of the exact nature of this rumor, the first person on this list is Princess Fjorm Gwyn Claudius, third child of the Nifl siblings and younger sister of King Hrid Sieger, the current ruler of Nifl. It is said that her mother actually hailed from a noble house in Faerghus before leaving for Nifl to become one of the former Kings’ many consorts. To my knowledge, she has no claim to the throne, though I suspect that she will have to take over should her brother perish.”  


“Hmm, I bet she’s so used to living in the cold, I wonder what it’ll be like for her to stay someplace warmer” Caspar said.  


“She’ll probably get used to the warmth or just find some old place to hide in like Bernadetta” Lindhart answered, earning Bernadettas’ attention in the process.  
“I-if that’s the cases. She’s going to have to find another place to hide. I- I can’t share mine” she warned. 

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“Duly noted” Edelgard nonchalantly agreed, before continued, “and the last person on this list is Princess Ylgr Hrim, youngest of the Niflese royalty. Since she’s far too young, she’s exempted from studying with us but the church has made arrangements for a private tutor for her anyways as a personal request from King Hrid. Additionally, they have asked us for anyone willing to volunteer to be her guardian should she join our house”  


“Is it just me or does anyone of you find it strange that each of them have different maiden names” Dorothea pointed.  


“On the contrary Dorothea, it is quite normal for a ruler to have a queen along with several mistresses in order to produce many offspring” Ferdinand answered, as Edelgard rubbed her hands in discomfort.

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“Oh, great! Babysitting” Caspar grumbled, crossing his arms.  


“Is a mere child going to be that much trouble for you?” Edelgard asked, challenging in her tone.  


“W-what! No! Nothing’s gonna get past me” Caspar answered.  


“Worry not Caspar. If you cannot handle a child, then I will dutifully perform that part to the fullest. No child shall be too much trouble for Ferdinand Von Aegir!” he boasted. The group collective groaned and laughed at the same time at his boasting.  


“Ferdie, looking after a child is one thing. Looking after a Princess is another matter entirely. I doubt you could handle it” Dorothea argued.  


“Nonsense. A simple child should be of no concern for me” Ferdinand defended.  


Dorothea simply sighed and shook her head, “You have no idea of the levels of energy and curiosity that girls have at a young age. This requires someone with experience. Like me”.  


“I’m glad to see at least two volunteers willing to take this task, should it happen at least. Still, do try to be cautious; you are both dealing with a princess” the Adrestian heiress instructed.  


“Of course,” Ferdinand answered.  


“I’ll do my best, Edie” said Dorothea.

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Edelgard looked at all the faces in her group and couldn’t help but wonder if they could actually hold it together for the entire plan to work. If they do manage to earn the interest of any of the arriving royals, it would do wonders for their house, and better still, if they somehow got all of them to join the Black Eagles house. Such thoughts filled her with excitement at the prospect of a golden opportunity to impart her vision of Fodlan. Still, it was a long way off and she knew that for now, she had to work on what she could at the present.

******1179 – Lone Moon – Blue Lions******

  
Waiting patiently in the classroom, Dmitri paced back and forth in anticipation for the arrival of Dedue as well as the rest of the Blue Lions. In the meantime, he thought deep and hard on the arrival of these foreign royals and what it would mean for the future of Faerghus. Unlike Adrestia, trade between Zenith and Faerghus has been much more difficult and slower due to the location of Faerghus to the north rather than in the south, meaning it was much farther away from the continent. Additionally, it was difficult to come to an agreement on which resources would be appropriate for trade as their main request for grain and other food supplies were near impossible to barter on account of how Faerghus itself was struggling with producing decent harvest. Eventually, Rufus the regent king along with Rodrigue, head of house Fraldarius managed to negotiate with them for substitute items such as raw iron, metal and coal. Still, the current state of the Kingdom was in shambles, plagued with political decline, civil strife and hardships, so if he could earn the trust of anyone of these foreign royals and eventually get on their good side, it would have strong implications for the future of his Kingdom during his eventual reign, with significant gain in both supplies and allies. This was definitely a golden opportunity here provided he knew the right moves to make and the right words to say and a chance like this rarely came by.  


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“Your Highness” Dedue called out. Dimitri snapped out of his thoughts and turned to face the Duscur native. He was a tall, intimidating, broad shouldered man with dark skin and white hair. 

“Dedue!’ the prince said.  


“I have brought everyone here as requested” he replied in quiet tone.  


“Thank you Dedue”

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A large cast of colorful people came forward and gathered around the Prince of Faerghus. 

“You called for us, your Highness. Is there something you need of us?” a boy with silver hair and freckles dotted all over his face was the first one to speak up.  


“I do, Ashe” Dimitri said.  


“Hmph, then it better be an important request, boar” Felix complained, with a scowl on his face.

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“It is” Dimitri scoffed,” The Kingdoms of Askr and Nifl are sending their future heirs here to learn at the Academy as part of their ongoing diplomatic mission to strengthen their ties with ruling powers of Fódlan. We have been instructed to assist and watch over them as they adjust to their new life here in Garreg Mach.”  


“Oh, that is wonderful news! I’ll do my best to make them feel right at home” a woman with rose like hair said with a gentle smile.  


“I’m sure you will, Mercedes. And I hope everyone else will do the same and treat our guests with the respect they deserve. Especially you Sylvain” Dimitri advised, staring at the boy with bright red hair.  


“Hey now! Don’t jump on me like that your Highness” Sylvain defended, “you can’t blame me for getting excited over the prospect of meeting more cute girls, especially when they’re exotic imports. I mean, haven’t you heard? They said that the second Princess of Nifl is woman of unbelievable beauty! With stories like that, I can’t help but get excited. I mean, ……she is coming over right?”.

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“She is. And that is exactly why I need you to behave yourself. The last thing we need is for your philandering ways to accidentally ruin a very fragile relationship between us and them. It’s no secret that Askr and Faerghus haven’t been on the best of terms for a long time, which is why I’d rather not risk leaving anything to topple this fragile beginning” the Prince warned.  


“You wound me, your Highness! I would never stoop so low”  


Felix grumbled at the sight of Sylvain ranting, “words that ring hollow in the face of a skirt chaser”.  


“My advice goes for you as well Felix” Dimitri added.  


“I have no interest in the affairs of foreigners. So long as they bring decent warriors here willing to test their blade against mine, I will keep to myself” this was the closest thing to a reassurance that Dimitri was ever going to get from Felix.  


“That is all I ask” Dimitri said.  


“Don’t worry your Highness, I’ll make sure these two behaves themselves” said a girl with long blonde hair.

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“Thank you, Ingrid,” Dimitri said before continuing, “now before we disperse, there is one more thing that I have been instructed to do. I will read out the list of names of the royals who are coming here along with their retainers as well as some minor details so you all can get a better understanding of who they are”  


“Alright!” cheered a girl who was standing next to Mercedes. She was shorter than her and had bright orange hair, “let’s hear it, your Highness”.

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“Of course, Annette” Dimitri cleared his throat before continuing, “We will begin with Prince Alfonse König, Regent Prince of Askr and heir to their Throne. Eldest child of King Gustav and Queen Henriette König, it’s said that he is a skilled warrior and an observant leader of their military order.”  


“A skilled warrior, you say”, Dimitri rolled his eyes when he heard Felix speak. Part of him knew he was going to take an interest when he heard the words “skilled” and “warrior”. 

“Yes, but please try to use some tact if you’re planning to challenge a future king to a duel” the prince sighed.

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“After him, is Princess Sharena König. Only daughter and youngest child of the Askran royalty, she has no claim to the throne it seems but she is said to be training to become a knight in their Order of Heroes, so it looks like she is a strong warrior in her own right. Though the transcript does not mention her possessing wits anywhere near her brothers’ however”.  


“So, because she can’t rule her kingdom like her brother can, she’s working to become a knight to carve her own path. I respect that” Ingrid observed.  


“Looks like she’s got more brawns and beauty than brains. Well, I hope the beauty part is at least true” Sylvain teased, only to get a quick jab at his right arm, lending to an audible “OW!”.

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“As for their retainers, the first one here is someone named Kiran Eclat. It says here that he was born a commoner before he was recruited into their Order of Heroes. It seems he serves as their tactician and advisor to both Alfonse and Sharena. Supposedly, he has a gift for strategic brilliance and possess an uncanny intelligence.”  


“From lowly commoner to advisor to the future King and Queen, his story reminds me of some of the heroes I read in the books. I can’t quite remember the name, but as a fellow commoner, I’ am proud of him all the same” Ashe commended.  


“He must’ve worked himself to the bone just to get to where he is. If he is as smart as they say he is, I hope he joins our class so we can compare notes” Annette commented.  


“I hope so too” Dimitri added, “anyways, the second retainer is another commoner named Anna. She is an officer in training and it seems she also works to fund their Order of Heroes. Her skills as a soldier seem to be decent enough though the transcript warns that she can be a miser when it comes to gold.”  


“G-good to know, ehehehe” Ashe nervously laughed. A gold hoarder and a haggler weren’t exactly going to be best of friends, so he just had to hope she would choose another house.

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“Now that we’re done with Askr, we can move on to Nifl”  


“Finally!” Sylvain said loudly.  


“Indeed” Dimitri sarcastically noted, “We will begin with Princess Fjorm Gwyn Claudius, third child of the Niflese royalty and younger sister to Hrid Sieger, the current King of Nifl”  


“Wait, did you say Claudius? As in THE House Claudius? The house of the crippled?” Ingrid asked.  


“The very same. Though I would prefer it if you did not say it out loud in front of Princess Fjorm” Dimitri affirmed as everyone nearly gasped at the response. “I understand, your highness” Ingrid acknowledged, “but I’m still curious. Isn’t that house supposed to be extinct by now?”  


“It is. During my fathers’ reign, Leah Mallory Claudius, the only surviving member of that house left in a self-imposed exile to Zenith where she supposedly became one of the many consorts of the King of Nifl. Princess Fjorms’ maiden name possibly confirms that rumor”  


“And?” Sylvain asked.  


“And what?” Dimitri repeated.  


“Does it say anything else about her? How she looks? Can she fight? Is she as cute as they say she is?”  


Dimitri pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He knew some of them would prove to be troublesome and despite knowing Sylvain for most of his life, he was still a headache to deal with. “There is nothing else about her. You will have to find out for yourself. We all do”.  


“I know, but the anticipation is just killing me!” Sylvain groaned is disappointment.

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“Moving on, the final person on this list is little Ylgr Hrim, youngest of the Niflese royals. She won’t be studying with us here on account of her being too young but she is granted permission to accompany her sister Fjorm to Garreg Mach and a private tutor has been arranged for her at the request of King Hrid. Also, should she join our house, they’re looking for volunteers to keep watch over her. If anyone here is proficient in the art of looking after a child with boundless energy, please raise your hand up”  


All of them stood silently as most kept their hands down, even the calm and collected Dedue was reluctant to raise his, but did so anyways “ I’ am not certain if I can keep watch over a young child, but if that is your wish, then I will do so without question”.  


“Dedue if you are unsure about this, then you don’t have to do this. Besides, you are not the only one who is volunteering” Dimitri addressed.  


“Well, I’m used to taking care of my younger siblings, so I believe I can do it if you want me to” Ashe offered, “though I’m not sure how to go about it with a princess”  


“Thank you for the offer Ashe. Though if you are unsure about this as well, then do not risk it. Still, I’d be more than happy to have you fill in as substitute”  


Mercedes however, confidently raised her hand up. “I can do it Dimitri. I’d be more than happy to look after Princess Ylgr if the needed arises. Maybe even treat her to some of my sweets”.  


“That’s a great idea!” Annette spoke up, “Mercies’ sweets are the best. She’ll love it”  


“Thank you, Mercedes. You’ve done more than enough to put my mind at ease” Dimitri heaved a sigh of relief, just glad that he had two (or three, counting Dedue) volunteers to deal with the potential nightmare of looking after a child.  


“Will that be all your Highness” Dedue asked.  


“Yes. I apologize to everyone for taking your time on a weekend. This meeting is officially over” the prince announced as everyone nodded and dispersed at their own pace, with the exception of Dedue who stayed behind with Dimitri.

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“Is something troubling you, Highness?” Dedue asked, watching his liege who was pondering intensely. “Nothing at all, Dedue” Dimitri answered, “I was merely in deep thought. Thinking about the ramifications this alliance could have for the future of Faerghus if we were to get into the good graces of either Kingdom”  


“I see. Is there anyone in particular you have in mind?” the Duscur native asked again.  


“Not at the moment. I’ll have to see where this goes but for now, I pray to the Goddess that our classmates don’t do anything that could ruin this”  


“I will keep watch over them to make sure they don’t do anything that might jeopardize your plans” Dedue offered.  


Dimitri looked at him and nodded with a smile. “ Thank you Dedue”. 

**********1179 – Lone Moon – Golden Deer**********

  
“Ugh, you’re the worst Claude! Making me do all this on a weekend” a girl with bright pink twin tail hair complained as she stormed into the Golden Deer classroom. Others followed in her wake as they gathered near Claude.  


“Whoa, relax Hilda. I know you love your afternoon strolling and napping, so I wouldn’t have asked you to do this if it weren’t important” Claude mused.  


“I guess so” Hilda accepted his justification, “but you’d better make it up to me later”.  


“Alright, alright”  


Claude diverted his gaze towards the other students who had gathered near him. “So, what is this ‘important message’ that you needed to tell us. It had better not be one of your ridiculous schemes again” a man with lavender colored helmet shaped hair chided.  


“Don’t worry Lorenz, this one’s straight from the Archbishop herself, so unfortunately no schemes from me this time” Claude stated. “Unfortunately, he says. Very well then, continue” Lorenz conceded while still eyeing Claude with suspicion.  


“Wait, does it have something to do with that meeting you were called for this morning along with Edelgard and Dimitri?” a girl with a short orange hair asked.  


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“Right on point Leonie” Claude affirmed, “In fact, they’ve asked me to tell you all what happened there. But first, I wanna ask you all a question: what do you know of Zenith?”  


“W-well, it’s a land far down south of Fodlan, ruled by three Kingdoms and one Empire. The Kingdom of Askr is on good terms with the Adrestian Empire and regularly trades with them. Though not too long ago, Askr and Nifl have begun trading with us” said one of the students. He was short in stature, with a neatly cut green hair and round spectacles.

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“Wow, you sure know a lot, Ignatz!” a large man that towered over Ignatz spoke up. Lorenz looked at him as if he was a giant toddler whose hand needed to be held. 

“This is common knowledge Raphael. You really must learn to keep up with the times” he boastfully chided.  


“Does this question have a purpose Claude!?” a girl with long white hair complained. Her pale skin matched her white hair which only helped to make her pink eyes stand out even more.

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Claude let out a smile as he winked, “oh Lysithea. Have patience, my little tiny bundle of dark magic. This is a tall order so I need time to get to the main point”.  


Lysithea snarled as she glared at him, while Claude simply ignored it for the time being and continued, “like Ignatz said, there are four powers that rule Zenith. Now apparently, not too long ago two of their Kingdoms, Askr and Nifl sent a letter of request to Rhea asking her to let some of their prince and princesses’ study here. She’s accepted it and now they’re on their way here.”  


Everyone let out a collective gasp as they received the news. “I-I mean, not RIGHT now! They’re still a long way off so we’ve got a week or two to get ready for them”, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

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“Anyways, our job is to make sure they’re comfortable and cozy once they get there, since they’ll be joining one of our three houses. But let’s be honest, I’m just going to dial up my charm here to make sure they all join the Golden Deer” Claude continued, “still, let’s all try to control some of our deer shenanigans for a while. I’m sure we’re all too keen on NOT starting an accidental overseas invasion on the Leicester Alliance.”  


“Preposterous!” Lorenz argued, “If there is anyone whom we should all be concerned about causing a diplomatic incident with foreign guests, it’s you”.  


“Pot calling the kettle black” Claude shot back  


“And what does that mean?” Lorenz sneered, putting a hand on his head in frustration, “honestly, I worry for the esteemed guests of Askr and Nifl if their first impression of a noble from Fodlan is you”.  


“I get the feeling that the only thing that’s gonna cause all out war is the bickering between you too” Hilda chimed in.  


“Touché Hilda” Claude conceded, while Lorenz grumbled in defeat.

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“U-um Claude, I don’t know why you called me over for this. I’ll only be a burden and cause trouble for them. I’m sorry” with light blue hair and an aura of melancholy and despair, the girl timidly apologized.  


“You don’t have to apologize, Marianne. As house leader, I’ll be handling all the diplomacy around here, so don’t worry about it”  


“A-alright” she quietly resigned.  


“Not sure exactly what I’m supposed to do” Leonie pondered, “sometimes, I can’t even make out half of what these castle dwellers think. But I’d be lying If I said I wasn’t curious”.  


“I hope they bring some food from there. I’d love to see how they taste like” Raphael hollered.  


Lorenz groaned in annoyance at the single-minded thought process of his larger classmate, “we are presented with a golden opportunity to forge a political tie with foreign nations. A prospect which the church has permitted and encouraged, making an exception to the ban on establishing contact with outsiders, potentially altering the course of the Leicester Alliance for the better and the only thing you can think about is food?”  


“Yup!” the big man quickly answered.  


“Sometimes, I wish you would use that simple head of yours to do something more productive. Besides the point, these people are the representatives of their respective Kingdoms, and as such, I’ am certain that they are the best and brightest amongst their people. The last thing on their mind should be food” Lorenz addressed.  


“Actually, I kinda agree with Leonie and Raphael here. I’m curious about them too. I bet they’ve got lots of adorable accessories that they’ll be brining here. Hmm, lets see here, necklaces, earrings, bracelets….” Hilda droned on.

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The deers continued chatting amongst themselves before Ignatz decided to bring them back to the topic at hand, “In any case, we should all be ready for when they come so nothing bad happens. Is there anything else that Lady Rhea told you Claude?”  


“Well” Claude laughed a bit slamming down a small notebook with a list of names, “as a matter of fact, I do have something: a little whet your appetite before the main course”  


“Is that” Hilda asked  


“Yup a list of names and smalls details on the people coming over”  


“And you never thought to share it with us earlier?” Lysithea inquired.

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“Well, I was about to, but then the rest of you started going on and on and on……” Claude teased, earning the ire of Lorenz and Lysithea whom he paid no heed to, “well, let’s start shall we. First up, is Prince Alfonse König, eldest son of King Gustav and Queen Henriette, sole heir to the throne and all round good at everything he does: The very model of a perfect prince”  


Hilda let out a small laugh before speaking, “there’s one word I have for someone like him: Booooooorrrrriinnng”, with the exception of Lorenz and Marianne, everyone else joined in on the laugh as Hilda continue, “I mean, he sounds so squeaky clean. Where’s the spice? where the excitement?”  


“So, does that mean you have a thing for bad boys then?” Claude winked.  


“Not really, but a little bit of style doesn’t hurt”.  


“You may think so Hilda” Lorenz argued, “but I have great admiration and respect for nobles and royals who live up to the standards of perfection in all things. It seems Prince Alfonse is the same in that regard”

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“If you say so. Anyways, next on our list Princess Sharena, Alfonse’s little sister and not in line for the throne, for some reason. But hey, it looks like she’s still trying to make a name for herself by training in their Order of Heroes and apparently, she’s just as good as her brother when it comes to fighting. But it does look like she’s stuck under her brother’s shadow”  


“Tough luck, I guess” Leonie commented, “but she’s still trying to make something of herself instead sitting in the corner and crying, so I like that about her.”  


“Same here” Ignatz added.  


“Maybe if she joins our house, I can help her to get more muscles so she’ll be stronger than her brother!” Raphael said.

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Claude smiled at the genuine kindness that came from the big man, “I’m sure she’d appreciate it Raphael. Now that we’ve covered the royal highnesses, we can move on to their retainers. Let’s go with this guy first: Kiran Eclat, born a commoner, got noticed by their military order, serves as a tactician in training and advisor to both Alfonse and Sharena. Says here that he’s pretty clever and a brilliant strategist”  


“Ooohhh, looks like you’ve got a rival in a battle of wits Claude” Hilda teased with a coy wink.  


Claude took it in stride and reciprocated with a wink of his own, “I’ll say. Though I’d prefer it if he were my ally. After all, two heads are better than one.”  


“I sincerely hope this tactician does not turn out to be another Claude” Lorenz whined.  


“Now, now, don’t worry. There’s only one of me and there’s plenty of Claude to share” the Reigan noble teased, “besides, he’s a commoner who worked his way to the top with his brains. What’s not to love about it?”  


“If he is as smart as they say he is, I hope he has some valuable knowledge to share” Lysithea commented. 

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“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here. We really haven’t seen them in action yet so it’s too soon to judge” Claude advised, “ moving on from Kiran, we’ve got Anna: another commoner, officer in training blah, blah, blah………hmm, this is interesting; besides helping fund their Order of Heroes, it looks like she’s a huge miser, has a big money fetish that is. Seems like she loves money more than she loves herself”.  


“Well, at least she has her priorities straight” Hilda sighed.  


“I’ll second that that” Leonie added, “then again, I don’t really think I have too much room to say all this considering my dream is to be sellsword and pay back the debt I owe”.

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“Now that we’ve got Askr out of the way, we can now move on to Nifl, the Kingdom of Ice”  


“Nifl huh” Hilda said, “is it true what they say about their blood being as cold as ice?”  


“Blood of ice?” Ignatz asked.  


“Yeah. I heard some stories that the place is so cold that the people there have icy blood” Hilda answered.  


“Well I wouldn’t put too much stock into legends. Most of the time, they never turn out to be true. And like I said, let’s wait for them to get here before we judge them” Claude informed.  


“I supposed you’re right” Hilda admitted.

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“Alright then, we’ll go with Princess Fjorm first. Third child of the Niflese siblings, King Hrid’s younger sister and if the stories are true, she’s apparently a daughter of a former Faerghus noble and quite the catch too” Claude rested his arms behind his has, with a teasing smirk as he did so.  


“Oh, if that is the case, then I’d best prepare myself to be as presentable as possible. After all, a beauty like her deserves only the finest in Fodlan nobility”, nearly everyone rolled their eyes hearing that from the mouth of Lorenz.

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“Right, I’m going to pretend I never heard that. Moving on……. It looks like the last person on this list is the youngest of them all. Fjorms’ little sister, and fourth child of the Niflese royalty, baby Ylgr. Looks like you won’t be all alone anymore Lysi- “  


“Don’t even think about it” Lysithea shot a menacing glare at Claude, who took it seriously this time.  


“O-okay, just don’t turn me into dust right now” he pleaded, “anyways, she’s still too young to study with us but it looks like they’ll arrange private tutors just for her as requested by her brother, King Hrid. That being said, it looks like they still want volunteers from our house to babysit her if she chooses to stick with us. Anyone interested?”

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“I really don’t know the first thing about babysitting. Sorry Claude” Leonie declined.  


“Admittedly, this is not one of my areas of expertise” Lorenz sighed in defeat.  


“Same here” Lysithea and Ignatz spoke in unison, taking each other by surprise.  


“I’m sorry Claude, but I’ll only make it worse if I said yes” Marianne kept her gaze downward as she said so.  


“I could try” Hilda offered, giving a ray of hope for Claude, “but I don’t know what she wants or likes. And looking after a princess seems like a lot of hard work”  


“Oh, come on Hilda” Claude exasperated, slightly frustrated at the answers he was getting.  


“I can do it!” Raphael spoke up, getting everyone’s attention, “I have a little sister back home and I used to take of her all the time, so it shouldn’t be a problem for me. I’m used to kids”  


“That’s all well and good Ralph but how do you know she’s going to act just like your sister. She IS a princess from place we barely know of” Hilda pointed out.  


“Please don’t jinx it Hilda” Claude whined, “I’ll take what I can get. Hopefully, she won’t be too much trouble for Raphael or the rest of us”  


“Anyways, that about wraps it up for this meeting” Claude continued, “sorry to waste some of your weekend time and I know it’s a lot to take in, but hopefully we’ll be more than ready when the time comes.”

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“Naturally. My noble charms will be more than sufficient enough to win them over to our house” Lorenz bragged.  


“Or send them running to the other houses” Leonie joked.  


“Preposterous. That is unlikely to ever happen” Lorenz argued back, completely missing the joke as the two entered into a back and forth war of words, before others eventually joined in as Claude watched it all from a distance. 

At times like these, he couldn’t help but wonder if these constant bickering with each other would be the undoing of the Golden Deer, compared to the unified front that the Black Eagles and Blue Lions displayed. Yet, at the same time, he liked it this way; it made them feel more genuine, truer to themselves and more trustworthy. Claude couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of him being proud of his houses’ members being what they are while he himself had secrets layered on top of each other. Still, what they see with the Golden Deer is what they would be getting, and he hoped the people of Askr and Nifl appreciated it.

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“Is something the matter Claude? You’re awfully quiet” Hilda approached him and questioned.  


“It’s nothing really” Claude answered, feigning ignorance with a smile that seemed forced.  


“Right” Hilda wasn’t buying it but decided to let it slide since her classmate was adamant in keeping secrets from everyone. Knowing his tendency to do things like this, she gave up trying to pry into him a long time ago.

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In truth, Hilda’s suspicion was correct in that Claude really was concerning himself with something. It actually had to the with the fact that the Church of Seiros, and Rhea in particular was willing to enter into negotiations with foreign nations and even willing to accept their Prince and Princesses as students here. Of course, there was the obvious political leverage and their influence in Fodlan guaranteed their control over most of it for a long time. So why would they entertain the notion of entering into friendly agreements with Zenith? They had never done this with Sreng, Duscur or Almyra, even if they had a Duscurian, a Princess of Brigid, a Dagdan and an Almyran (or two) as students or faculty members here. To his knowledge, the Church had always been adamant in warning the ruling nations against establishing contact and having relations with other nations beyond its borders. As a matter of fact, they made a rule to decree this isolating thought. Yet, they not only made an exception for Askr and Nifl, they were practically rolling out the royal carpet just for them; a stark contrast from how Fódlan usually looked upon outsiders. What made Askr and Nifl so special?  


The more he thought on it, the more questions just kept piling up and his curiosity was salivating at the prospect of getting the answers. In any case, there was no use in thinking about it now and he suspected that he wouldn’t get a straight answer from the church. Thus, it would seem that his answers would most definitely lie within the future students from Askr and Nifl. Now all he had to do was wait patiently for their arrival.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Alfonse and co. begin their journey to Garreg Mach, somthing catches their attention along the way: something is happening near a little village called Remire and what began as a gesture of heroism will change their fates forever.

**1180 – Great Tree Moon**

“I can’t believe we’re nearly there. This is so exciting!” a blonde girl squeed. The gold color of her armor matched her hair which neatly contrasted her bright green eyes. 

“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves Sharena. We still don’t know how far it really is” her brother gently reined her in. While he did have the same white and gold armor as his sister, his hair and eye color were a sharp contrast to hers being dark blue on both the hair and the eyes with a tint of gold at the edges of his hair. At the moment the siblings were chatting with each other on horseback while being flanked on both sides by two other people. Additionally, several well armored knights followed behind them as well, some on horseback while others on foot. 

“Oh Alfonse, you’re always so serious. Aren’t you excited too? About all of this?” the blonde princess asked. 

“Well, of course I’am. But as crown prince of Askr, I have to take this seriously” the prince answered his sister with a smile, though his mind was thinking of something else “sometimes, I really wished I had your care free nature”. 

“If you say so” she laughed, “so how much further do we have to go?”. 

“Well, according to the instructions we were given, we’re supposed to get to a meeting point past a village called Remire to meet up with their ‘Knights of Seiros’ who will escort us for the remainder of the journey to the Monastery” Alfonse explained,” so hopefully, it’s not much farther now” 

“That’s great to hear. It’s a shame Fjorm and Ylgr didn’t come with us. Do you think we’ll meet them at the rendezvous?” Sharena twirled a strand of her hair with her finger as she asked, to which Alfonse placed a hand on his chin to answer. “Since we’re both going to be attending our studies at the same time, my intuition leads me to believe to that they probably will.” 

“Alright!” Sharena’s face was beaming with joy as she turned to face her companion to her side, “and what about you Commander Anna. You look like you’re in deep thought”. “Oh, nothing much. Just thinking about all the potential businesses ventures that I could set up here in Fódlan” the girl next to Sharena replied, hair bright red and armor with the same color scheme and design as the royal siblings. 

“Is that all you think about?” Sharena rolled her eyes in disappointment. “Well of course not. But trade between Askr and Fódlan is really picking up at a rapid pace, so I have to take advantage of this while it’s still a hot commodity” Anna addressed, “don’t worry, it’s all for the Order of Heroes”. 

“Right. Anna being Anna” Sharena sighed, sounding defeated. 

“I could ask the same thing about you, Kiran. You’ve been awfully quiet for the last few days” Alfonse did the same and looked over to his retainer. 

The retainer stretched outwards and groaned. Unlike the other three, he didn’t wear any armor on him, rather, he wore an elaborate long robe with a hood that concealed most of his face aside from his nose, mouth and a small glimpse of his blue eyes. That being said, his robe’s color scheme was much the same as the others with white and gold. “Sorry, just feeling a bit worn out after riding on this damn horse for days on end” he complained, “still, I don’t really have a lot of room to whine about all of this when most of our guys are following us on foot”. 

Alfonse grumbled at the answer before nodding at Kiran. The irritation was not directed towards Kiran but rather his father, who had that he take a small army to escort them across the ocean and to the Monastery. His original idea was to go there under disguise and travel in plain sight without anyone noticing so as to not attract attention or cause a scene, but King Gustav had shot down the idea in the event that they were attacked by bandits or other hostile forces. As a result, he had no choice but to begrudgingly agree to his father’s plan and take an army of volunteers from the main Askran army as well as the Order of Heroes. 

“Hey Kiran, you said that in your world they had places where kids go to study when they’re older. Do you think it’ll be like that in Garreg Mach?” Sharena called out. 

“Sorry Sharena, but I really can’t say. Like I said, I don’t remember that much from my world. But I was told that those were the places where only the richest and smartest kids go to study since they were supposed to be really expensive, so there might be some truth to it” Kiran answered. 

“They say only the best and brightest get to attend Garreg Mach. Which is all the more reason why we should use every valuable time we have there to learn and grow to the best of our abilities” Alfonse added. 

“But that sounds boring Alfonse. We should be spending our time there making as many friends as we can! Right Anna, Kiran?” the Askr princess argued looking sideways at her retainers. 

“I don’t really have a lot of room to argue here. But as an officer in training for the Order of Heroes it wouldn’t hurt to learn a thing or two in order to Improve my skills” Anna said as she shrugged. 

“I agree with you on learning part but where I come from, supposedly most kids our age just use these places to get away from their parents for some ‘fun time’” Kiran put up an air quotation, all the while grinning as Sharena let out a small laugh. 

“W-well, we are representing our Kingdom and it would do us a lot of good if we could curry favor from a noble or a future ruler here. So, you do have a point there Sharena” Alfonse agreed, “but let us try to behave ourselves as well. Understood?” 

“Sure thing” 

“Of course,” 

“No problem” 

“Good” Alfonse nodded, “and it looks like we’re nearing Remire village as well”. The group continued the remainder of their journey in silence as Sharena reined in her excitement, hoping they would get by without any sort of incident that might cause a political problem or an attack from bandits. Unfortunately for them, it would seem fate had other plans in store for the group. 

“Halt!” Alfonse raised his right hand and clenched his fist, signaling everyone to stop immediately. “Is something wrong” an alarmed Anna asked. Alfonse was usually friendly if a bit uptight under normal circumstances, but when he got serious, it was a sign for everyone, even Sharena, to take things seriously. 

A small white owl descended from the skies and flew straight into Alfonse’s arm. “It looks like Feh is back from scouting. Something must have gotten her attention for her to be this nervous” the Askran prince answered. 

“What’s wrong Feh?” Sharena asked softly, looking at the owl as it flapped its’ wings restlessly and hooted. 

“Do you hear it?” Alfonse asked. Everyone else kept quiet and started listening intensely as well. 

“It sounds like……. fighting” Sharena suggested. 

“Correct” her brother affirmed with a nod. “Alfonse, do you think we shoud- “ 

“No. Not yet” the Askr prince cut off his sister with an answer ready, “not until we know what’s going on”. 

“Kiran” Alfonse called out, disembarking from his horse. 

“Yeah?” 

“Let’s you and I scout ahead first. We’ll find some high ground and get a lay of the land, see what is going on” Alfonse ordered. 

“Okay” Kiran complied, getting off of his horse as well. “Sharena, you and Anna stay here with the rest of the troops, we’ll be back quickly” Alfonse ordered as he released the owl while the two stood firmly as they watched him and Kiran follow the owl towards higher ground. 

Eventually they reached the top of a small hill from where they found a good vantage point, which allowed them to see nearly everything that was going on while Feh rested beside them. “Can you see it” Alfonse asked. 

Kiran narrowed his eyes and shielded his brows with his right hand in order to concentrate and see what was happening. “Would’ve been better if we had binoculars but yeah, I can see what’s going on. It looks like heavy fighting between two groups” the hooded boy commented. 

“Is there any way for us to go around them? I really hope we can avoid getting involved in their affairs. Father told us not to spill blood on Fódlan soil unless they permit it to or if we don’t have a choice” Alfonse continued staring at the battlefield as he sought advice from his retainer. 

“For once, I agree with him. But from the looks of it, I don’t think so. And even if we did, we’ve got a small army with us that they’d notice quickly” Kiran commented, as Alfonse grumbled under his breath. “Wait” something had caught Kiran’s attention, “Alfonse look over there” he pointed a finger towards the northeast direction. 

“Looks like the other group is bringing in reinforcements” Alfonse said, continuing to look at the direction of the backup group, “it seems we have no choice but to fight through. But whose side should we pick? That is, if we can even trust either of them”. 

“I don’t think we can, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to fight our way through both of them at the same time either. Looks like we’ll have to take a gamble and hope we picked the lesser of two evils. If I were you, I think I’d stake my life on the people who look like they’re wearing clean uniforms. Guys with messy fur coats and animal skulls for helmets usually means- “ 

“Brigands” Alfonse growled as his face frowned. 

“Bingo” 

“Let’s go Kiran, we’ll have to get Sharena and Anna before we do this” 

Alfonse and Kiran eventually made their way to Anna and Sharena as they were waiting patiently for the two of them to return. “Well, what did you see” Anna asked. 

“Fighting between brigands and another group in uniforms. We’re going to have to help the guys in uniforms fight off the bandits” Kiran informed them as he picked up his weapon, Breidablik. It was an odd relic that resembled a white and gold handgun than anything resembling a weapon appropriate for the time he was in. 

“Really?” Anna looked bewildered. “We don’t really have much of a choice on this Anna. And we can’t go around them either, so we’ll just have to help them fight the bandits and hope we made the right choice” Alfonse explained, picking up his sword Fólkvangr from it sheathe. “The four of us will handle this ourselves. The rest of you, stay put, keep watch over Remire village and wait for my order. Should anything happen to us, protect that village at all costs”. 

“Understood your Highness” a soldier bowed. 

Anna and Sharena also dismounted from their horses and drew their own weapons respectively: the axe Nóatún for the former and the divine lance Fensalir for the latter. As his allies prepared themselves, Alfonse began to write something in a small sheet of paper before neatly rolling it into a thin line and tying it up in the owl’s leg. “Feh, find Fjorm and get this letter to her quickly” he ordered, to which the owl complied and flew off in the direction of its destination. 

“Ready?” Alfonse asked the other three as they approached him. “Ready as can ever be Alfonse” Sharena responded. 

“Good. Now follow me” he ordered. 

**1180 – Great Tree Moon.**

The sound of metal clashing sent a rippling noise through the air as the small skirmish between the bandits and the mercenaries alongside the students of Garreg Mach continued. For the moment, the five-man group consisting of Jeralt Eisner, his son Byleth, alongside Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude were more than holding their own against the attacking forces and winning. Unbeknownst to them, a larger group was descending in their general direction to serve as backup for the main force. “Heads up. It looks like they’re bringing in more reinforcements!” Claude shouted high up from a lookout tower, an elevated position that gave him the distinct advantage of sniping enemies from afar. “What! More of them!?” Dimitri grunted, while still busy clashing with a bandit or two. 

“Damnit!” Jeralt cursed, striking through a group of them. 

“Uh oh, and it seems we have uninvited guests coming from the other side as well. But they don’t look like bandits though” Claude warned, picking off a stray with a bow. 

“Are you implying that we are being attacked from both sides?” Edelgard asked, while vehemently defending herself against an onslaught of sword strikes before she pushed back her attacker. 

“Great. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse” the older mercenary complained. “Kid!” he shouted, to which a young man with a blank face and dark blue hair looked at his direction. “Stay put with the brats and defend this position. I’ll go and handle our other guests” he ordered. 

“Understood” the boy nodded as he turned around and braced himself for the onslaught of the next wave while his father reined in his horse and galloped in the other direction. 

…………… 

“There they are” Alfonse said, stopping in his tracks in order to wait for the others to catch up to him. As they did so, he turned around and looked at his tactician, ready to defer to him for instructions. “Kiran, do you have a pla-“ 

“Alfonse behind you!” Sharena pointed out, causing her brother to turn back and watch as a gruff man on horseback came running straight towards them. The group nervously held their weapons tightly as they readied themselves for the arrival of their mystery entity. The moment he arrived; he commanded his steed to stop right in front of them as he pointed his spear at them. However, as he looked closer, he realized that they looked nothing like mere bandits. “You…. you’re all just kids?! No older than the ones over there ……...and those clothes and weapons: you don’t look like you’re from around here. Just what the hell do you think you’re doing here?” he lightly scolded, which at the very least seemed to have let the group lower their guard. 

‘Peace. We’re not here to harm you, we wish to offer help” Alfonse reassured him. Jeralt, however, wasn’t easily swayed by the notion; mainly due to the fact that while he was certain that they weren’t bandits, he was still unsure of who they really were either. Their armor and weapons were elaborately designed, suggesting nobility or even royalty and yet, they looked nothing like any of the royals or nobles he had ever met. Worse still, he wasn’t even sure if they even knew how to fight. 

‘Help? Do you know what you kids are getting yourselves into? All of you should turn back and get out of here” he asked sternly, to which Alfonse immediately stepped forward, looking at Jeralt right into his eyes. “My friends and I are no strangers to combat. Trust us. We saw a massive reinforcement of brigands coming this way and right now, you need all the help you can get” he argued back with a stern face of his own. 

Jeralt looked into the young faces of these strangers and realized that they weren’t going to budge, even the one whose face was concealed with a hood. The mercenary looked at them with wary eyes before sighing accordingly, “I can’t believe I’m doing this. Fine, you can help us protect this village from those bandits”. 

“Thank you. We will do all we can” Alfonse nodded in approval. 

“Alright then, I’ll let the others know you’re here to help. Follow me” Jeralt ran forward with his stallion, leaving the four of them to follow along. Once again, the Prince of Askr looked towards his tactician for deferment, “so what’s the plan Kiran?” 

The hooded boy rubbed his chin before answering, “looks like they’re already in a good defensive position. If we can help them cover up their blind spots, then we should be able to advance quickly and drive them out of here, no problem. Alternatively, if we can take down whoever is in charge of them, the rest should run away quickly. Either way is gonna work”. 

“That’s music to my ears, Kiran!” Sharena cheered. 

“Agreed” Alfonse added. 

“If there’s no objections to Kiran’s plan, then let’s get going” Anna suggested, as the other three nodded and made their way towards to battlefield. 

……….. 

Once the warriors of Askr had reached their destination, Kiran decided that it was time to step up as their resident tactician. “Alfonse, protect the girl with the axe” he began pointing towards Edelgard who was still busy fighting off hostiles. “Understood” Alfonse nodded and immediately went over to the Adrestian Princess. Even if he was of higher status than Kiran and his overall decisions were final, in the heat of battle, it was his tactician’s orders he listened to. Afterall, he wasn’t one to question Kiran after the excellent track record Askr had racked up in battles against Embla and Muspell as a result of his tactical and strategical skills. 

“Anna, go over to the blonde guy with the lance” he instructed. “Of course,” she replied, making her way to Dimitri. 

“And Sharena, you head over to the guy with the sword and cover for him” Kiran ordered as he pointed towards Byleth. “What about you, Kiran?” Sharena asked with concern. It wasn’t that she expected Kiran to pull his weight and contribute to the fighting, but rather she hoped that he did not put himself in danger and get into a fight on account of his lack of actual fighting skills. He may be a brilliant tactician but it didn’t take much to mop the floor with him. 

“Don’t worry, I got Breidablik with me. And I’ll be heading up to that watch tower” he reassured her. “Right away then” the Askran Princess said, “Just stay safe Kiran”. Kiran nodded as he watched Sharena make her way towards the blue haired mercenary, leaving him all by himself. Wasting no time, he immediately ran for his life, crossing through the thick of the skirmish zone to reach for the safety of the tower. 

The first two lords were taken aback by the sudden arrival of these strangers but were eventually glad to have the strangers lend them an extra hand. “Are you the reinforcements the mercenary mentioned? If so, then please lend us your aid” Dimitri asked as he pushed back an axe wielding bandit before looking at Anna, who charged towards the foe and sent him flying with an upward swing. “Not a problem, this will all be taken care of” she answered looking back at Dimitri, leaving the Faerghus Prince with a firm smile on his face. 

Edelgard got ready to defend herself against the incoming onslaught of two ruffians ready to strike at her. Yet the attack never came to be, as Alfonse stepped in front of her and raised his shield to protect the both of them. Once the attacks were successfully blocked, he pushed them both back as he thrust his sword against the chest of one of them while Edelgard followed suit and brought down her axe against the other one, bringing him down as well. “Such good form, and the way you hold your sword; it is obvious that you and your allies are quite accustomed to battle” Edelgard complimented, looking directly at Alfonse. ‘Thank you. I could say the same about you and the others” the Askran Prince replied back, “shall we move forward and finish this?”. No words were needed to be said as they both diverted their gaze towards the next wave and prepared themselves. 

Sharena wasted no time coming over to Byleth’s aid as she got in front of him and swung her lance as wide as she could to give them breathing room. The Ashen Demon quickly synchronized with her movements as the two stood back to back while being surrounded by three bandits, one wielding a lance and the other two wielding axes respectively. The axe wielders targeted Sharena first and immediately charged towards her at the same time, only for Byleth to pull her back as he countered their blows with his sword. Sharena for her part, quickly recovered and deflected a lance that was about to hit Byleth from behind with her shield, causing the lance wielder to lose balance as she plunged Fensalir right into his shoulder, which caused him to scream in pain as he was pinned to the ground. Once she confirmed that the thief was neutralized, she turned around to assist the mercenary, only to find out that he had thoroughly trashed the other two without breaking a sweat. “Wow! You’re really good!” she said cheerily, to which Byleth simply nodded with a blank stare. 

While the other three Askrans were busy supporting their new allies, Kiran, on the other hand, was busy climbing up the seemingly endless steps of ladders as he tried to make his to the top with Breidablik attached to his hip. It would not only give him a good tactical layout of the place but also protect him from the dangers of facing bandits. But the closer he got to the top, the more his heart started pounding as his hands and feet started to feel like jelly while his eyes tried their hardest not to look at the ground below. 

_“Don’t look down Kiran. Don’t look down, you’re almost there”_ he repeatedly those words to himself as he slowly, and painfully kept climbing up the ladder. Right now, he much preferred facing the mortal dangers of brigands than getting stuck in a precarious position high up. Thankfully, the whole ordeal was over as the tactician finally reached the top after what felt like an eternity, when in reality, it was only a few seconds. Unfortunately, Kiran was met with an arrow pointed to his face as Claude looked at him with one eyebrow raised. “Whoa, easy there, friend. I’m here to help” the Askran tactician tried to defuse the situation, which seemed to have worked as Claude lowered his guard and reached out his hand to assist him. 

“I thought for a second there that you were a bandit. Sorry about that” the future Duke smiled as Kiran grabbed onto his hand and raised himself up to the platform. “No problem. So, who’s the guy in charge here?” the tactician asked, to which Claude made his way towards the edge of the tower and pointed in the direction of Byleth and Sharena. “The would be our mercenary friend over there fighting with your blonde lady friend” he answered, “and so far, his plans have been working pretty well for us”. 

“I’ll say. If this whole setup was his idea, he’s really good, I’ll give him that” Kiran acknowledged. “Hey!” he shouted towards Byleth, getting his attention, “their numbers are thinning out. We should advance quickly”. 

“Then we’ll circle around them as we move forward” Byleth responded, slightly raising his voice loud enough for the hooded boy to hear him. “Sounds like a plan, we’ll cover you all from here!” the tactician shouted back. 

“Hate to break it to you, but how are you gonna help me? Are you a mage or something?” Claude asked Kiran. 

“Something like that” Kiran responded, “now step back”. Claude did as he was asked as he watched the hooded boy take out a strange looking weapon from his hip and held it at one of its hilts while he pointed the other edge towards one of the corners of the tower with enough space. Suddenly, a huge burst of light emanated from one of its ends as a faceless, lightly armored archer stood in front of them. The archer wore a strange mask that concealed almost all of its face and didn’t speak nor respond to Claude as he waved his hand across its face, making him look at it with bewilderment. “Don’t bother. It’s just a phantom I summoned” Kiran explained as Claude looked on with curiosity. “So, you can summon warriors to fight in your stead? Have to say, I’ve never seen this kind of magic before”, Claude was genuinely curious at the abilities that this stranger displayed and the even stranger weapon he held, “think you can teach me some time?”. 

“Maybe when this is all over sure. But right now, let’s focus on getting out of this alive” Kiran responded. “Agreed” Claude turned around to focus on the skirmish at hand as he started looking over to find strays and flankers. Kiran for his part, looked at his phantom archer and ordered it to support Claude. “Do what you can to help” he ordered, and the phantom obeyed him without question and moved next to Claude, ready to assist him. “I’ll spot for you” the tactician offered, to which the Reigan heir nodded in approval, “much appreciated.” 

…………. 

The small waves of enemies eventually started to slowly fall to the combined efforts of the two mercenaries, the three house lords and the warriors from Askr as they continued pushing forward. Alfonse and Edelgard took the lead as Byleth and Sharena followed closely. Dimitri and Anna pushed through the right flank while Jeralt did the same towards the left side, closely following his son. Meanwhile Claude and Kiran were busy providing support from the watch tower, sniping enemies at a distance. 

By the time their leader had arrived to assist them, most of the bandits had already been taken down or driven back with ease. Byleth’s plan, with a little bit of extra support, had worked to perfection as the ruffians eventually became less of a threat and more of an obstacle. A stout, gruff man with harsh facial features, the bandit leader scanned the area to see what had happened to his men. “Damn. Why are there so many mercenaries in the village?! Guess we’ll just have to deal with them too!” he scowled in frustration. 

Byleth looked at the others from their respective positions, as they waited for him to give them their orders. “We have them cornered into one spot. Let’s converge on them and finish this. Follow my lead”. 

The moment their unofficial leader led the charge, the rest of group followed suit without question. Alfonse did not take his eyes off of Byleth, noting how easily he was able to take command of the situation and execute a plan without a hitch. Even if he wasn’t aware that he was ordering the future king of Askr, Alfonse could not deny his prowess in combat and so far, his tactical skills have rivalled Kiran’s own. He was more than impressed. 

“Damn it all!! What are you standing around here for, you idiots! Kill them!” the leader furiously shouted orders to his underlings with murderous intent, to which they fearfully complied. Unfortunately, just as they were about to meet their adversaries across from the other side, stray arrows began hitting them from out of nowhere as two of them went down without resistance. 

Frustration grew on the leader’s face as he followed the direction from which the arrows struck and discovered its’ source originating from the lookout tower. ‘Someone, get those archers now!” he barked his orders as a small squad led a large man headed in the direction of the archers while the rest readied themselves to clash with their attackers. 

“You and I will get behind and take them out. The rest of you, distract them” the large bandit ordered as he took hold of another bandit and made off, using the nearby forest to the east as cover while the remaining group started hurling stones and other objects towards the tower. 

“Look out!” Kiran warned as the two ducked for cover while the phantom archer kept counter firing, despite its inferior aim in comparison to Claude. The two heard a metallic thud as they looked up to see a giant axe lodge up near the wooden pillar on the side. “Looks like they found us” he remarked, while looking at the tactician who was still crouching, “listen, you should get down there and get help. I’ll hold them off”. 

Kiran grumbled under his breath, not pleased at the prospect of having to go look down from such a height. But he knew it would be stupid to stay here as well, so he nodded and turned around to make his way to the ladder…… 

Only to find one of the bandits making his way to the top. “Found you” he growled as Kiran immediately backed away. Claude quickly turned around and pointed his bow, only to see his ally taken hostage with a knife held to his throat, being used a human shield by the scoundrel. “Shoot me and he dies” he threatened as the Reigan heir trained his eyes on him, not letting go of his weapon. “Sorry” the hooded tactician apologized. 

“Let him go” Claude demanded as he watched him carefully. The summoned archer had to cover for him from the attacks below as the two were in a stale mate. It was a difficult position to be in, not helped by the fact that his arrows were ineffective in a small room. “Drop your weapon first” the bandit shot back, before looking at the other archer as well, “same goes for that thing over there”. 

“Don’t do it! He’s gonna kill you!” Kiran warned. 

The standoff felt like it lasted for an eternity, though in reality the event was over rather quickly, as the summoned archer was more than willing to comply in order to save its summoner while Claude begrudgingly had to play along. That being said, he wasn’t a fool that he would easily trust a snake and made a mental note to play out a scenario where he would quickly draw out his knife from his back pocket and throw it at the thief before he had a chance to harm his companion. His right hand tightened as it twitched in anticipation for what’s to come. 

“Good” the scoundrel approved, “as promised, I’ll let him go”. Saying that, he turned around and pushed Kiran over the edge of the tower, as an audible scream followed through. The phantom immediately dove past the bandit before he could even react and plummeted from the tower to save its summoner. “You dastard!” Claude roared as he took out his knife and charged straight at the bandit. Meanwhile, in the split second that was going on, the phantom barely managed to get hold of Kiran in the nick of time, enveloping him in a tight hug as it turned around and let its back take the brunt of the collision to the ground as a sickening thud made contact with the earth. The Askran tactician let out an audible groan as he tried to recover from the rippling shock of the collision as his body started aching all over. 

“Think…...I hurt my …hip. AArrgh!” he groaned in pain as he rested on his phantom. “Good archer……... I …. I owe you one” he praised his creation as it simply laid their silently. The worst, however, was yet to come as a giant axe descended upon him, forcing him to muster enough strength through the pain and quickly roll to the other side. Sadly, the same could not be said for his phantom as the axe lodge itself onto its chest before it disintegrated entirely. The attacker looked on with surprise at what had just happened before lifting his axe again and slowly made his way towards his next target, who was painfully crawling away from him. 

Kiran, however, couldn’t make it far on account of his injury. Having no other choice but to turn around, he looked over his hip and took hold of Breidablik, pointing the artifact directly at the large man in front of him. “I’m going to enjoy chopping you to pieces, little man” the axe wielder grinned as he picked up speed, raising his weapon in order to rein it down on his victim. The Karan’s eyes widened as he realized that there wasn’t enough time to summon a new phantom as the weapon inched closer to him. Time felt like it slowed down significantly, as if fate was giving him one last chance to enjoy life before it would be taken away from him. “Oh shi-“he remarked in a deadpan tone, as if he had given up on surviving completely. 

And yet, as seconds passed, no harm actually came to him as a ray of light blue energy blasted the man across the field. Looking at the direction of the blast, he saw who his rescuer was and it left him with a big smile on his face. 

Askrs’ resident tactician never thought that the current eldest princess of Nifl would come to his recuse at this time and place, yet he was relieved all the same. Much like Sharena, she had blond hair, though her eyes were blue instead of green. Her clothing had the same elaborate design as the ones from Askr yet had a different color scheme consisting of blue and white instead of white and gold. In her right hand, she held a large spear with a pointed hilt called Leiptr. 

“Kiran!” she ran towards him as fast as she could, a look of great anguish on her face. “Are you hurt?” she asked, kneeling down to check on him. Kiran simply sighed as he gave out an ‘okay’ sign, letting her know that he was alright for the moment. That being said, Fjorm was always one to agonize over everything and she wasn’t buying into his reassurance. She took his left hand, lifted him off the ground and put it around to her left shoulder, “just lean on me. You’re safe now”. 

“Thanks” Kiran acknowledged her help, appreciating the support she was giving him. 

“When I received the message from Alfonse, I ran here as fast as I could” she said, slowly helping her friend move to a safe spot. “Good thing too. Otherwise I would’ve been chopped meat for sure” Kiran tried to laugh through the pain. Suddenly they heard a scream, as a man fell to the earth from the tower with a knife to his back. From the top, Claude looked over with concern to see if his companion was still alive, only of heave a sigh of relief at the sight of him standing. Grabbing his bow, he quickly made his way down to the two as he ran up to them. “Kiran….?” Fjorm asked nervously, holding on to her lance tightly. “Don’t worry, he’s alright” Kiran reassured her. 

“Are you alright?” he asked with concern on his face. 

“More or less” the tactician tried to scoff at the question, doing his best to hold the pain. “That’s good to hear, and I take it this lovely lady is a friend of yours?” he smiled at the girl. 

“Yes….my name is- “ 

“No time for formalities now” Kiran interjected, “we gotta help the others first. Then we can chit chat all we want”. 

The two looked at him with surprise before nodding. “Hate to say it but you’ve got a point. But let’s get you someplace safe first” Claude stated. “He’s right. You’re in no condition to fight, so let’s find a safe for you to rest. Once this is over, we’ll pick you up” Fjorm added. 

“I’m not gonna argue there. I think I’m gonna take a nap and hope my back feels better” Kiran accepted their proposal without argument. He was always one for tactical withdrawal when it was required, and it wasn’t like he was going to be of any help hobbling around. The two found a shady spot underneath a large rock with lots of cover where they placed him in a rested position with his back lying against the rock as they made their way to where the rest of the skirmish was happening. 

………….. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the skirmish, Jeralt and Byleth had successfully routed out the remaining bandits with only a handful of them alongside their leader remaining. Letting his horse gallop across the field, Jeralt closed the distance between him and the bandit leader as he stood still with a terrified expression on his face. “J-Jeralt the Blade Breaker?! What are you doing here?!” 

Jeralt’s reaction was that of annoyance as he tightened his grip on his lance as he looked at the brigands. “You tell me. I’m the one who has to clean up the mess you people made”. He looked around to see that his son along with the rest of the kids had made it as well. Wasting no time, he snapped his reigns, immediately causing his horse to lunge forward as he pointed his spear at one of the bandits, plunging it straight into his heart. 

Not one to waste an opportunity, Edelgard charged ahead, fully intent on taking advantage of the initial shock to land a follow up attack. With her full might she swung her axe and sent an unfortunate thief flying as he was too caught up in the moment to retaliate properly. Unfortunately, that would be the only golden opportunity that they would have since the window for that closed rather quickly as the rest of the ruffians alongside their leader came back to their senses. With their initial fears discarded, the leader led the counterattack as he charged towards Edelgard, raising his axe as he tried to strike her down. The Adrestian Princess raised her own axe up as a means to block the attack, though it only served to snap hers in half as it bore the brunt of the attack. Thankfully, before anything else could happen, Alfonse struck the leader with a backhand from his shield as it sent him tumbling backwards and seemingly knocked out, all the while being oblivious to the surprise gaze that the princess was giving him. Snapping out of her stupor, Edelgard looked at her axe and realized that it was split in half meaning that it was of no use in battle anymore and decided to discard it. “You should fall back. It’s too dangerous for you, now that you don’t have a weapon anymore” Alfonse looked at her with concern, “don’t worry, we’ll handle the rest”. 

Edelgard was ready to respond to his suggestion, only to refrain herself as she realized that he had a point and she had no room to argue. “Very well” she reluctantly agreed as she watched the blue haired boy run off in another direction to provide support to the mercenary on horseback. 

On the eastern side of the field, Anna and Dimitri did their best to hold off their attackers as they outnumbered the duo five to two and attacked as frequently as they could to pressure them. Luckily, help came in the form of an arrow as it struck one of the bandits in the back. With widened eyes, the two looked over to see Claude from a distance with his bow trained in their direction as another girl charged forward. Switching targets, the ruffians ran towards the girl, only for her to flip over them as they looked over and under to see her stand side by side with the other two. “Glad you could join us” Anna smiled as she looked over Fjorm, who smiled back, “likewise, Commander Anna”. Dimitri was left puzzled by what he had just seen but was nonetheless pleased to have additional support. The bandits looked on nervously as they realized that the tables had now turned and that they were the ones who were now surrounded on two sides. 

The last leg of resistance from the brigands came to a screeching halt as Byleth and Sharena took down what remained of it. With a wide swing, the Askran Princess knocked her enemies back and stunned them, giving Byleth ample time to pick them off one by one rather quickly. Firmly under the belief that this was the last of them, the two let their guards down, oblivious to the dangers of a survivor sneaking up behind them with a sword in hand. Yet before he could even reach the two, an audible scream of pain came from him as a small blade latched onto his back, alerting his enemies to his presence. Byleth wasted no time and dashed forward, plunging his sword onto the ruffian’s stomach as he fell to the ground, lifeless. 

“Ylgr to the rescue” a small voice proclaimed as she emerged from the forest. “Uh oh” Sharena pondered with worry as Byleth looked at her, scratching his head. 

“Do you know her?” he asked. 

“I do” she answered with a tired smile as she ran over to the girl. “What are you doing here Ylgr?” she gently asked as she bent down to reach the little girl’s level. “Fjorm said she had something really, really, really important to do and told me to wait with the soldiers. But it was sooooooo boooring, so I followed her” 

“what will we ever do with you?” Sharena dropped her lance as she placed the palm of her free hand onto her forehead as she let out a deep sigh,” anyways, do you know where your sister is, right now?” 

“Hmmmm” Ylgr let her eyes wander around as she held her chin, “I think she went over to where Kiran was supposed to be”. 

“Of course, she would” Sharena said with worry, fearing that Fjorm might do something reckless in the name of repaying her debt to Kiran for his rescue long ago. Still, Sharena could attest to her skills in battle and was confident that she would come out of this unscathed. After all, they had fought over battles worse than this. “Say Ylgr” she said as the Nifl Princess reverted her gaze back to Sharena, “this fight is almost over, so why don’t you stick with us until we find your sister?”. 

Ylgr seemed to be taking time to ponder on that offer before coming up with an answer, “ummm, okay”. 

‘Great” the Askran Princess beamed with joy as she stood upright and picked up her Lance, “just stay close to me, alright?”. Ylgr nodded in compliance. 

……………. 

As the dust settled, whatever was left of the bandits made a hasty retreat to lick their wounds with their tails between their legs. The skirmish, it seems, was finally over. Suddenly, the bandit leader that had been supposedly knocked out got up, taking both his men and Edelgard, by surprise as he shot a murderous glare at the Adrestian Princess, who was now unarmed save for a small dagger that she drew from her belt to defend herself as the man ran towards her with an axe in hand, screaming. As the man drew nearer, Edelgard readied to defend herself……. 

…. only for Byleth to step in between her and the ruffian, disarming him and sending back to the ground as his men carried his unconscious body for a hasty retreat. 

“Hey over here” the two turned around to see Claude and Dimitri join them, relief on their faces as they saw that their allies were fine. Jeralt too, joined up with them as he rode his horse right next to them, looking at his son with astonishment and slight sense of pride at the skills he displayed. 

“Hey…. did you just….” 

“Kiran!” 

The five looked over to see their new allies gathered up nearby as one of them helped the hooded one walk over with his left arm draped around her shoulders. Sensing that something must be wrong, they went to the strangers who aided them in the hopes of providing any sort of assistance, while nearby, another girl was busy scolding what seemed to be a little girl. 

“That was a nasty fall you took there, friend. Are you sure you’re okay?” Claude was the most concerned since he was the one who witnessed the whole ordeal. 

“Meh, I just……. got the wind knocked out of me. I’ll be fine” Kiran nonchalantly replied, yet with way he was talking, it almost sounded like he was exhausted and having difficulty breathing. “You don’t have to lie about all of this Kiran” Alfonse argued back, “we know you’re hurt. Right Anna?” 

“Well…...I’ve checked on him and it doesn’t seem like anything serious. He’s just lucky that excruciating pain is the only thing getting from a fall like that. Hopefully, he’ll be back on his feet” the redhead answered. 

‘Wait” Dimitri interrupted, as everyone looked at him, “please correct me if I’am wrong. I heard you call one another Anna and Kiran. Would I correct in assuming, that you are Kiran and Anna from Askr?”. 

It was a question that left everyone speechless and in stunned silence. But before Alfonse could come up with an answer, an extra pair of feet came running, as the group looked over in worry that there might be more bandits, only to find a group of men in well maintained armors. 

“The Knights of Seiros are here! We’ll cut you down for terrorizing our students!” one of them boisterously declared, “hey, the thieves are getting away! Go after them!”. 

The warriors of Askr watched as the knights obeyed the order and ran in the direction of where the bandits retreated. “Oh look, the cavalry’s here to save us, just in time as always” Kiran sarcastically quipped as he rested on the ground. 

“Pardon me, but did he just say that he was part of the knights of Seiros?” Alfonse asked the three lords as they looked at each other. “That would be correct. Why?” Dimitri was the first one to speak up. 

Alfonse looked at the all the faces of his companions before staring back at Dimitri, “well…...” he hesitated momentarily, “you were right in your assumptions: we are from Askr”. He looked over to see Fjorm with Ylgr as they watched closely, “at least the four of us here”. 

“My sister and I are from Nifl” Fjorm interjected. 

The three lords were taken aback by the answer, before Edelgard spoke up, “do you mean to tell us that you’re the royal emissaries from Askr and Nifl?” 

“How did you know about all of this?” Alfonse questioned her with wary eyes. 

But before she could give out her answers, the Knights had arrived as one of them got closer and inspected the group, looking over to Dimitri, Edelgard and Claude. “You all seemed to be unharmed. But just to be safe, is anyone of you injured?” 

“There is. I have a friend here who needs help” Alfonse came up to him as the man was caught with a look of surprise. “Oh, and who might you be?” he asked. 

“There’s something I need to discuss with you sir” he turned around to look over his group before returning his gaze back to him, “in private”. 

“Umm…very well?” the man looked visibly confused but decided to accept his request anyways. “And who is this……is that…. Captain Jeralt?!!” he looked over to the mercenary. 

“Ugh…...why him?” Jeralt rolled his eyes as he let out a groan. The man seemed to barely register the response as he joyfully made his way towards him, “By the Goddess, it’s been ages since I last saw you. Don’t you recognize me? It’s me, Alois! Your old right-hand man! Well, that’s how I always thought of myself anyways”. 

“Everyone said that you were gone for good, but I always knew you were alive” Alois joyfully continued. 

Jeralt looked like he was about to have the biggest headache of his life as he sighed, “ugh…. Alois. Just as loud as ever. And drop that ‘captain’ nonsense. I’m not a knight anymore, I’m a mercenary. One who has work to do. Goodbye old friend.” 

“Right…. goodbye, Captain”, Jeralt felt relieved when he heard that. Though, it would seem he had spoken too soon, as Alois seemed to have suddenly changed his mind as he cried out, ““Wait! This isn’t how it should end! I insist that you return with us to the monastery!” 

“Garreg Mach Monastery” Jeralt muttered with a dour face as he sighed, resigning to his fate, “I suppose it was inevitable”. 

Alois looked over to the young man standing next him, scanning him before asking, “and you must be Captain Jeralt’s son, Yes?” 

“Yes “with a slight hesitation, Byleth nodded with an answer. 

“Besides the difference in outward features, I can see that you are your father’s son as if cut from the same cloth. In that case, I would also like for you join us to the monastery as well”, Alois said. Byleth himself couldn’t come up with an answer, except to look at his father who shook his head in defeat. 

“Alright, alright. We’ll go if you stop pulling our leg. Even I know better than to cross the Knights of Seiros. But can we discuss this somewhere…...private” Jeralt gave his answer. 

“Excellent!” Alois was beaming with joy, “let us go discuss matters more discreetly. And you too, young man, you said you wanted to chat with me, yes?” 

“Of course, I’ll follow your lead” Alfonse said, following behind the other two. Leaving Byleth all by himself. 

The knights of Seiros…They do seem rather skilled 

The familiar voice alerted Byleth to her presence, as he frantically looked around to see where she was. 

It matters not where I’am right now, for it seems your presence is required. 

He certainly couldn’t argue with that as he saw the nobles (at least the first three that he met were, he wasn’t sure about the others yet though they didn’t look like ordinary peasants either), were eagerly waiting for him. 

……… 

As Byleth and the three lords chatted with one another, Kiran and the others looked on keenly, as if trying to hear the conversation. “Hey Kiran, what do you think they’re talking about?” Sharena asked, sitting next to him. “Beats me,” Kiran shrugged his shoulder, “but the way they’re looking at him, tells me that they’re really interested in him”. 

“I can’t blame them. You should’ve seen him fight Kiran, he’s really good” Sharena said with a smile. 

“I could say the same thing about them too. It’s clear that they’re no ordinary people” Anna added, standing guard beside Kiran. 

“From the way they dress, my guess is that they’re nobility of some sorts” Fjorm approached them with Ylgr in tow, as they all looked at her. 

“And combined with the way they fought; it does add weight to that theory” Anna admitted. 

“Or……… hear this out” Kiran spoke up, “we could just ask them since they’re coming over here with Mr. Blank Stare who’s really good at fighting”. 

True to his word, the four did come over to them again, possibly to pick up on where the left off in the previous conversation between each other before the Knights showed up. 

“Pardon the intrusion, but I haven’t had the chance to properly thank you all for your assistance. It was not my intention to leave you all out here like this. And for that, I feel terribly ashamed” Dimitri said apologetically. 

“I concur. You all have proven yourselves to be capable warriors. I would be doing myself a disservice if I did not at least thank you all for risking your lives for us” Edelgard chimed in. 

“Same here. I’m just glad to know that the people of Askr and Nifl are this selfless. I mean, you did say you all were from Askr and Nifl, right?” Claude addressed. 

“Yup” Sharena answered cheerily, “oh and off the record? I’m not supposed to say this but some of us are really royalty!” 

“You just broke the rule by telling them what you weren’t supposed to tell them!” Anna grumbled as she looked at the Askran Princess with irritation. 

“Oh…...” Sharena’s eyes widened at the realization of what she had done, “oops. Sorry”. 

The three of them went silent as Byleth stood back and watched before Claude spoke up, “that does make a lot of sense. If the two of you are Anna and Kiran, then that would make you, Princess Sharena, right?” 

“Correct!” Sharena cheerfully noted as Anna and Kiran sighed in defeat while Edelgard looked over to the two Niflese Princesses, “and you said that the two of you are from Nifl right? So that would make you Fjorm and Ylgr”. 

The two sisters stared at the Adrestian Princess, almost dumbfounded, “that is actually correct. I didn’t think so many people would know about us so quickly”. 

“Well……there is something you all should know, and I believe it to be fair compensation for risking your lives for us” Edelgard pressed her lips as her audience waited for her reply, “the three of us are students of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery. I’am Edelgard Von Hresvelg, - “ 

“Daughter of King Ionius IX and future Emperor of the Adrestian Empire” everyone looked over to see Alfonse walk over to them, with a small owl sitting on his shoulder while Jeralt and Alois followed behind. 

“Feh!” young Ylgr shouted as she happily ran over to Alfonse to see the owl. The owl flew from the shoulders of the Askran prince and gently landed over the head of the Nifl princess, almost carefully so as to not let its’ talons hurt her head as she rested on it. 

“And that means you are Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. Son of King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd and future ruler of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus” he said looking over the blonde prince before looking over to Claude, “which means you, are Claude Von Reigan”. 

“Heir apparent to House Reigan and future Duke of the Leicester Alliance. Guilty as charged” Claude finished the sentence as he rested his hands on the back of his head, “And that would mean, you’re Alfonse. THE Prince Alfonse König, correct?”. 

“That is correct!” Alois stated as the Askran Prince nodded. “And the three young ladies over there are Princess Sharena, Princess Fjorm and Princess Ylgr” 

“Actually, we are quite familiar with their names already, as well as the other two” Edelgard bluntly replied. 

“Ah. I see, then it should save us the trouble of having to introduce ourselves over and over again” Alois took it in stride at what Edelgard had said. 

“I’ve already introduced myself to Alfonse over here, but…. might as well do it again. My name is Jeralt Eisner and this is my son, Byleth” Jeralt stated while Byleth gave a swift bow before everyone else nodded before turning their attention to Alfonse again. 

“It’s alright. I’ve confirmed everything” Alfonse reassured as everyone kept looking at him, “Anna, notify the troops and bring them over here”. 

“Oh well, isn’t this just a perfect coincidence that everyone of us just conveniently met each other here” Kiran quipped as he slowly got up with Sharena’s help. “Well, I think it’s a good coincidence since we get to meet so many new friends so quickly!” she replied to Kiran, a bright smile on her face. 

“As you wish” the redhead said as she raced back in the direction of the village while Alfonse went over to Fjorm, “You should do the same Fjorm. I’ll look keep an eye on Ylgr in the meantime” 

“Thank you” the Niflese Princess said, walking towards her little sister who was still busy playing with the owl, “Ylgr, behave yourself, alright? I’ll return shortly”. 

“Fine” Ylgr grumbled, “but don’t take too long”. 

“You had troops and you didn’t think to bring them here to help?” Claude furrowed his brows as he asked Alfonse. 

“We couldn’t risk shedding blood on Fodlan soil, at least not without express permission or a scenario where we can state that it was purely for self-defense. The six of us can at least speak for ourselves and make a strong case should judgement come to pass, but ordinary soldiers can’t, that’s why I asked them to stand near the village and intervene should the worst come to pass” the blue haired prince explained. 

“I see. Such responsibilities certainly seem to put you in a precious position. Isn’t that so?” Dimitri said, placing a hand on his chin. 

Alfonse looked behind to see Anna arriving with the Askran soldiers while Fjorm did the same from the other side. “Yes. Though, perhaps we should chat more about it later.” 

“I couldn’t agree more. We should trade stories on the way to the monastery” the Reigan heir suggested. 

“This will certainly be an interesting journey” Edelgard informed. 

“Indeed” Dimitri acknowledged. 

“Alright. Enough chit chat, let’s get going” Jeralt ordered, before walking towards Kiran, a slight look of concern on his face “heard it was a nasty fall you got yourself into. Can you walk?” 

“I’ll live. Just need to stay on my horse for now” the tactician answered. 

“Suit yourself. Just don’t fall asleep in case you have a concussion, then you might not wake up for a long time” the blade breaker warned. 

“I know, I know. Thanks anyway” Kiran gratefully replied as Sharena started leading him to his steed. Alfonse and the three lords alongside Byleth and Jeralt did the same, leaving only Ylgr to be tended to by Alois. 

“And what about you, your little Highness? Care for a ride with a Knight of Seiros? I can show you around Fódlan” Alois offered as he extended a hand. 

The young princess eyes glistened as she looked at him, “are we going on a big, big, big adventure!?” 

“A short one, yes. I wouldn’t want to give your sister cause to worry about you” he answered. 

“Okay. Let’s go” she nonchalantly stated as Feh flapped her wings and flew towards Alfonse. The boisterous knight led the little princess to his steed, where he lifted her up and placed her in the saddle first before climbing up himself. “Now hold on tight, your little Ylgr” Alois said, to which Ylgr answered by holding onto the horn of the saddle. With everyone ready to depart, Alois gave the all clear for the other Knights to led the way in escorting their new guest as they made their way into Garreg Mach Monastery. 

And then it happened, 

“So, you’re a Knight, right? Do you fight for a King and a Queen? My father and other mother used to rule my homeland. It’s sooo cold out there. Is it cold too in Fódlan? I hope not. Do you have a warm place here like in Enbarr…….?” 

Ylgr was talking faster than the seconds Alois required to register them and come up with an answer. He tried his best but it was a difficult. He looked over to see some of the people from Askr giving him a snickering laugh while Princess Fjorm gave him a look of pity. He was visibly confused as to why they were doing that, for little did he know what he had just gotten himself into, and it was going to be a long ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note:
> 
> For those of you who’ve noticed that I’ve altered Kiran’s summoning ability, I want to give reasons for why I did it. Before that, I wanted to let you all know that I did put up a warning in the first chapter that I would be altering a lot of things and that it might not be your cup of tea. And for that, I again apologize, but this is the route I wanted to take. Anyways, here are the reasons why changed it:
> 
> 1\. It’s way too powerful – the fact that he can not only summon characters from other fire emblem series but also have complete control over them, kinda makes Breidablik broken. It’d be especially worse if he brought in someone like Tiki, Naga or Grima of all people, since they’d end the plot right then and there. 
> 
> 2\. As hilarious as it would be to have all powerful beings like Sutr or Kings like Zephiel attend Garreg Mach and serve as Kiran’s bodyguard, it also feels out of place like they’re uninvited guests who just tagged along. Now imagine bringing in an army of those, and they’re just wouldn’t be enough space left. Also, it’s not the tone I’m trying to go for in my story.
> 
> 3\. Speaking of space, Three Houses already has a cast of 24 characters each with their own personalities, motivations and goals with several unique supports. And that’s just from the three main houses. Bring in the Church of Serios, TWSITD, characters from the Empire, Kingdom and Alliance alongside with foreign nations and it’s already a huge cast as it is while simultaneously trying to create unique interactions and supports for the 6 characters from Zenith and it’s a huge workload for me. If I started bringing in summoned characters from other FE games, each with their own personalities, then it’d just be too much for me.
> 
> 4\. There’s actually a class called the Summoner in Sacred Stones. It’s a promotion of the Shaman class and divergent of the Druid class and Knoll and Ewan can make use of this class. Much like Kiran, the summoner class can summon beings to fight on its behalf though they are generally weak. They also supposedly have abysmal health and zero points in strength, meaning they’re meant for support roles and for players who want to take their time and use more tactical maneuvers to win the rounds, which is perfect for a Tactician from Askr. Don’t worry, I won’t completely underpower him but I’m also going to try to make sure he doesn’t become some sort of unstoppable god either.
> 
> Anyways, that’s about it for my explanation, I hope you enjoy it regardless and do let me know what you think. On a lighter note, who do you think is going to join which house and why?

**Author's Note:**

> Note:  
> If you're reading this at the end of story, I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I’ll be sure to address them as best I can. I’m also open to suggestions and ideas as well. Once again, hope you all enjoy it and let me know what you think.


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